Who Should Receive The Game Ball For The Vikings This Week?

by Christopher Gates on Oct 31, 2011 9:56 PM CDT in Minnesota Vikings 2011 Season

Is this broken-up touchdown pass enough to get Husain Abdullah this week's Samsung Game Ball of the Week? (Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images)

Well, I probably should have gotten this up sooner. . .my bad for having forgotten about it.

With the Vikings getting their second win of the season by beating the Carolina Panthers on Sunday afternoon, somebody needs to get the Game Ball of the Week. We've got ourselves a few candidates for this one, so let me just get right to it.

S Husain Abdullah - A Vikings' safety up for a game ball? Yep. On the Panthers' last drive, Abdullah made two big plays. . .he cleaned up a Chad Greenway blitz to rack up a sack of Cam Newton to put the Panthers in a long yardage situation, and on a Newton throw to the end zone, he broke up a pass intended for Greg Olsen. It's not often that we recognize the Vikings' safeties for anything positive, so I thought Abdullah (and his oblongata) merited a mention in this one.

DE Jared Allen - Allen had another great game, getting a fumble recovery and another strip/sack to go along with five other tackles. At the halfway point of the Vikings' season, he has 12.5 sacks, which puts him on pace to surpass the mark set by Michael Strahan for most sacks in a single season (the record currently sits at 22.5). Unfortunately, thanks to DeMarcus Ware's insane four-sack performance on Sunday night, Allen's lead in the NFL sack race is now just half a sack. But he had a big impact on the game on Sunday.

RB Adrian Peterson - He got shut down for most of the first half on the ground, but a funny thing happened. . .the Vikings had a quarterback in the game that remembered that the best running back in the NFL is pretty good at catching the football, too. Peterson turned in the best receiving performance of his career on Sunday, with five catches for 76 yards and a touchdown. Oh, and he still managed 86 yards and a score on the ground, too.

QB Christian Ponder - In his second NFL start, and his first start on the road, Ponder outdueled his rookie quarterback counterpart, Cam Newton. Yes, Newton had better numbers with more yardage and three touchdown passes, but Ponder had the smaller number where it mattered the most. . .in the turnover column. He didn't play perfect football, certainly, but he improved from his previous start, which is exactly what you want to see from a rookie quarterback. He's becoming what the kids call "money" on third downs, too.

Those are the ones I can think of. If anyone has any other candidates they'd like to talk about, that's what the "other" selection is for.

Poll

Who should get this week's Game Ball for the Minnesota Vikings?

S Husain Abdullah

33 votes

DE Jared Allen

200 votes

RB Adrian Peterson

178 votes

QB Christian Ponder

367 votes

Other (specify in comments)

8 votes

786 votes | Poll has closed

Tweet Comment 21 comments | 0 recs |

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Comments

Purpledork looks around...

Lowers voice

You forgot the poll

Also, I vote Ponder. He’s provided a great spark to the team.

by Purpledork on Oct 31, 2011 9:58 PM CDT reply actions

I know

I realized that about five seconds after I hit “Post.”

It’s there now, though. (-:

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by Christopher Gates on Oct 31, 2011 10:16 PM CDT up reply actions

As I mentioned in the stock report...

I’m feelin’ me some Jared Allen (hmmm, that sounded dirty) for this one. Dude brought down the one QB I felt he might not be able to get to. So far the NFL has not given him a QB he can’t sack or an O-line he can’t penetrate (oooh, that was dirty again).

Considering Cam the Man couldn’t escape his wrath, I think it’s time to swing him another game ball.

I'm at a loss for words.
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by KJSegall on Oct 31, 2011 10:27 PM CDT via mobile reply actions 1 recs

Agreed.

Ponder is a nice spark but Allen is our Defense’s fire!

IF YOU THINK REEM SHOULD BE RATED ANY HIGHER THAN AROUND THE #5 HEAVYWEIGHT (AND THAT IS STRETCHING IT) THEN YOU ARE A FLIPPIN MORON, PLAIN AND SIMPLE.

by Edgecrusher71 on Nov 1, 2011 9:46 AM CDT up reply actions

i love all the options

But I think Abdullah deserves it. I believe in reinforcing the behavior that we like to see. And Abdullah certainly demonstrated the behavior that we want to see in a safety.

Plus I think a little pat on the back is always a good thing. Guys that step up should be recognized

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by just another viking on Oct 31, 2011 10:32 PM CDT reply actions

He made some plays when they mattered most

but he was pretty frustrating to watch early on.

by REVENGE4KLUWE on Oct 31, 2011 11:58 PM CDT up reply actions

I think the option of being able to choose who we personally thinks should get the game ball is great. Adbullah, however, consistently delivers the results that the masses love and I believe he needs to be the one to get this great award.

Halloween

by Frank Alessio on Oct 31, 2011 11:55 PM CDT reply actions

For Excellency on 3rd down..

Christian Ponder.

by REVENGE4KLUWE on Oct 31, 2011 11:59 PM CDT reply actions

Agreed. He extended the play numerous times.

Ponder accomplished some very long drives done and if it wasn’t for the lame harvin strip catch, Vikings would probably be another 7 points higher on the board.

3rd down performance is a bonus! The manner of extending the play, avoiding the sack, seeing the opportunity, & doing the right pass wtih a catchable ball. This stuff builds momentum. 3 and outs and 2nd half stuffed collaspes do not.

by VikesFanSince1967 on Nov 1, 2011 9:21 AM CDT up reply actions

Harvin

Erin Henderson had a game too

by dr_dan319 on Nov 1, 2011 12:00 AM CDT reply actions

I’d give Harvin a gameball if he would have smacked Shockey in the mouth while he was on the sideline puffing his chest out after the sideline ‘brawl’.

Shockey’s such a d’bag.

by Odin'sDrunkenSon on Nov 1, 2011 8:12 AM CDT up reply actions

Jared Allen. Forcing two turnovers that directly lead to two touchdowns.

Allen made two game-changing plays that stopped Carolina’s offensive momentum and gave the offense two short field situations that they took advantage of.

by CanadianViking on Nov 1, 2011 12:21 AM CDT reply actions

Allen was the biggest gamechanger IMO.

So he gets my vote. He had the big plays all game and was the cause of multiple turnovers. I still love Ponder’s play and he’s been great the past two games but someone else has always been outstanding in the same game. I think he’ll have a monster game at some point this season.

by Crosseyes on Nov 1, 2011 12:59 AM CDT reply actions

agreed

on both counts.

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by Admiral BigGun on Nov 1, 2011 9:31 AM CDT up reply actions

Can we vote for the Carolina kicker Olindo Mare to get our game ball?

That was my loudest cheer of the day in a game with quite a bit to cheer about. ;)

by SirGrizzly on Nov 1, 2011 1:44 AM CDT reply actions 1 recs

Hahah

That’s a good point

by REVENGE4KLUWE on Nov 1, 2011 7:31 PM CDT up reply actions

I voted Ponder

because he got his first win and has sparked this team. His 3rd down efficiency is amazing.

I almost voted ‘other’ for Erin Henderson. He had one hell of a game.

by hatethenate on Nov 1, 2011 2:53 AM CDT reply actions

I gotta go with Peterson

On that last TD he had he broke two tackles and dragged a third defender into the endzone with him. The man is a complete animal! And I am glad to see the Vikings finally started to do the little dump pass to him. If teams put 8 guys in the box to stop him what a novel idea to put him BEHIND those 8 guys and then get him the ball!!! I think the Vikings need to start using more screen plays and short dump passes to AP and Harvin. Those two guys can make a whole lot happen out of seemingly nothin.

by Carson R on Nov 1, 2011 10:47 AM CDT reply actions

Went with JA

Another great game by Allen, recovering the early fumble, forcing another before the half and forthe most part staying in position to keep Cam in the pocket for most of the game which is tough for a pass rusher to do. Cam did get his running yards, but it was not as bad as I thought it was going to be going into the game.

Will give an honorable mention to Harvin, minus the fumble he seemed to have a very consistent contribution throughout the game.

by MNSportsGuy on Nov 1, 2011 11:06 AM CDT reply actions

Tough one this week with no clear-cut winners

But I’m giving my vote to Allen. His strip/sack and fumble recovery led directly to short fields and scores for Ponder and AP. He also bothered Newton all day, which gives him the edge.

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by Eric J. Thompson on Nov 1, 2011 2:28 PM CDT reply actions